Everyone has had to go through orientation at least once in his or her life. Whether it be for work or even school, orientation has been something that at this point in life everyone has gone through. Daniel Orozco's Orientation is pretty far fetched as far as work related orientation goes. You know the drill, it is an introduction to the office, who everyone is, where everything is, the office rules, etc. The farfetchedness in Orozco's short story lies in the immense amount of detail that is given about the office. The dry sense of humor that is used in the story is key to trying to separate what is real and unreal about this office. .
In any office setting there are rules. What to do, what not do, where supplies are, and most importantly, the kitchen. Offices are made to make you feel productive with providing you breaks from the workday, but not too many to where you lose track of your work. This is made clear in the story. "We get one hour for lunch. We also get one fifteen-minute break in the morning, and one fifteen-minute break in the afternoon. Always take your breaks. If you skip a break, it is gone forever. For your information, your break is a privilege, not a right. If you abuse the break policy, we are authorized to rescind your breaks." .
The narrator is very specific in regards to what the new employee can do and emphasizes on what will be cause for termination. The narrator places great emphasis on the Mr. Coffee, treating it like a person "this, this is our Mr. Coffee." Going on about how to get into the different pools for coffee. Only to end by saying "You are allowed to join the coffee pool of your choice, but you are not allowed to touch the Mr. Coffee." Why would you not be allowed to touch the coffee machine at your job? What if you need coffee to make it through your last few hours of work, and the coffee pot is empty? The person leading the orientation seems to know a lot about all of the employees in the office, a little too much.
